Tie-forming tool



April 14, 1942- P. B; WALLIS ,279,507 I'IE-FORMING TOOL Filed Sept. 21, 1940 M 129 INVENTOR. 1 pap/1? 6. 2/42;

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Patented Apr. 14, 1942 UNITE-D STTES T OFFICE TIE-FORMIN G TOGL Porter B. Wallis, Hillsboro, Tex., assignor to Indiana Steel & Wire Company, Muncie, 11,111., a corporation of Indiana Application September 21, 1940, Serial No. 357,691

4 Claims.-

object of my invention is to produce a tool of the type described which can be simply and economically manufactured and which, in its preferred form, can be used to produce alternatively either an open-wound wrap, a aforesaid, or a close-wound wrap.

In making my tool, I form it with a handle portion and with a seat portion adapted to embrace a line-wire about which the tie-wire is to be wrapped; and one wall of said seat portion adjacent the line wire received therein I provide a notch shaped to receive and retain the straight or unwrapped portion of the tie-wire. One end face of the seat portion of the tool is so formed as to engage the last turn of the wrapped portion of the tie-wire and thereby to hold the tool in such a position longitudinally of the linewire that as it is rotated therearound the tiewire will be formed into an open-wound helix of substantially constant pitch tightly embracing the line-wire. For the purpose of producing a close-wound wrap of the tie-wire the tool may have a second seat portion and tie-wire receiving notch, such second seat portion being so shaped as to be free from contact with the wrapped portion of the tie-wire.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one form of tool as applied to the line-wire and shows the toolbeing used to form a close-wound tie-wire wrap; Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are, respectively, a front elevation, a rear elevation, a side elevation, and an end elevation showing the tool of Fig. 1 being used to form an open wound tie-wire wrap; Fig. 6 is a front elevation showing a modified form of tool being used to form a close-Wound tie-wire wrap; Fig. 7 is an elevation showing the same tool being used to form an open-wound tie-wire wrap; and Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

The tool illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 is formed of bar stock of any desired cross-section and has a central handle portion l0 and flattened end portions which are bent to provide line-wire receiving seats in the form of hooks II and Hi.

In forming the hooks H and 12, the flattened Between the handle portion H) of the tool and the bend of the hook H, I provide a laterally projecting shoulder I 3, and in such shoulder I form a notch [4 adapted to receive the largest tie-wire in connection with which the tool is to be used; Atv the opposite end of the tool, one side face of the hook I2 is given a helical formation as. indicated at I5, and the opposite side of the hook is provided with an oblique tie-wire receiving notch l6.

In using the tool described to form aclosewound'tie-wire wrap, the hook II is engaged over the line-wire 20 as shown in Fig. 1, and the tie-wire 21', in straight condition, is disposed transversely of the line-wire 2.0 and'in the groove l4. The-tool is then rotated around the linewire 20, forming thetie-wire into a close-wound wrap. The reaction of the straight portion of the tie-wire against the bottom of the notch I4 holds the hook H firmly in contact with the linewire 20.

To form an open-wound tie-wire wrap, the hook I2 is applied to the line-wire 20, and the tie-wire 2| is disposed transversely of the linewire and in the notch Hi. If the tool is now rotated around the line-wire, the tie-Wire 2| will be formed into a helix. The helically-formed face 15 of the hook I2 is so shaped and so disposed relative to the notch l6 that, by bearing on the last turn of the wrap, it will hold the tool in such a position axially of the line-wire 20 that the tie-wire will be formed into an open- Wound wrap of substantially constant pitch.

The sides of the notches l4 and I6 are rounded and smoothed so that the tool will not mar or otherwise injure the surface of the tie-wire.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, the tool is not formed of a single piece of bar stock, but instead is formed of three pieces of round stock of considerably smaller diameter. The tool embodies a handle portion 25 of round stock bent to form an eye 26 and having its end portions 28 disposed close'together in parallel relationship. To opposite sides of the handle portion thus formed there are secured wrapping finger 30 and 3|, such fingers being preferably held in place on the handle by welding, as indicated at 32.

Beyond the end of the handle, the fingers 3D and 3| are bent into diverging relationship as viewed from the front or rear, as will be clear from Figs. 6 and 7. In addition, the two fingers 30 and 3| are bent out of co-planar relationship, as indicated by Fig. 8, so that they may pass upwardly on opposite sides of the line-wire 20. Each of the fingers is then bent into the form of a U to provide a seat embracing the line-wire 20; and the extreme outer ends of the fingers are formed into hooks 30' and Ill respectively, such hooks being adapted to embrace the tie-wire 2|. In the case of one of the fingers, shown as the finger 3 I, the U-shaped bend which embraces the line-wire 20 is substantially in a single plane. In the case of the other finger, however, the bend is more or less helical so as to carry the hook 30' laterally outwardly from the center line of the tool.

In Fig. 6, the tool is shown as being used to provide a close-wound tie-wire wrap, the tie-wire being received in the hook 30'. Because of the manner in which the finger 30 is bent to carry the hook 30' outwardly from the center line of the tool, no portion of that hook or its associated finger engages the wrapped portion of the tiewire 2|, and, as a result, a close-wound wrap results. When, however, the tie-wire 2| is disposed in the hook 3|, the outer portion of the finger 3| engages the last turn of the wrapped portion of thetie-wire and holds the tool longitudinally of the wire 20 in such a position that an open-wound tie-wire wrap will result.

It will be noted that in the tool of Figs. 1 to 5 the free end of the bent portion of the tool embracing the line-wire is located on the same side of the tool as that to which the wrapping effort is applied, whereas in the tool of Figs. 6 to 8 the opposite relation obtains. The former relation has the advantage that the hook may be shorter; but of course makes it impossible to use the free end of the stock to engage the straight portion of the tie-wire, as in the tool of Figs. 6 to 8. The hook II in the tool shown in Figs. 1 to 5 is elongated, not for any advantage in wrapping, but only for the purpose of enabling it to be hooked over or into a linesmans belt. Carrying of the tool shown in Figs. 6 to 8 is facilitated by the eye 26.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a tool for wrapping a tie wire about a line wire, said tool comprising a seat portion adapted to receive the line wire while the tool is being rotated therearound and including two spaced walls between which the line wire is disposed when seated in said seat portion, said seat portion having an end face engageable with the wrapped portion of the tie wire, one of said walls being provided with a notch opening generally toward the line wire when the latter is seated in said seat, said notch being adapted to receive the unwrapped portion of the tie wire, the base of said notch being so located longitudinally of the seat portion relative to said end face that with the latter engaging the wrapped portion of the tie wire the unwrapped portion of the tie wire seated in the base of the notch will be disposed at an angle to the line wire such that when wrapped thereabout by rotation of the tool it will form an open-wound helix, and a handle rigid with said seat portion and extending transversely from the line wire seated therein.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said seat portion is in the form of a hook opening generally toward said handle.

3. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said notch opens in that end face of said seat portion which is remote from the end face engageable with the wrapped portion of the tie wire.

4. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said end face of the seat portion is helically curved.

PORTER B. WALLIS. 

